Greensboro, N.C., Selected for HondaJet Production

Honda Aircraft announced today that it selected Piedmont-Triad Airport in Greensboro, N.C., to be its world headquarters and sole production and final assembly facility for the HondaJet very light jet. Top Honda Aircraft executives at a press conference, joined by city and state officials, said that the first phase of development will be a 215,000-sq-ft facility for aircraft development, certification, engineering and service and support. The facility will also house provisions for sales, marketing, flight testing, customer delivery and research and development. This first phase of development represents an investment of $60 million, according to Honda Aircraft. The company is still finalizing details on the size and timetable for the adjacent production and assembly plant. This announcement is no surprise, as Greensboro has been the exclusive site of the development of the HondaJet since it started in 2001. First deliveries of the twinjet are scheduled to begin in 2010. Honda has orders for “well over 100 aircraft” and it is working to expand initial production to more than 70 aircraft annually, “due to overwhelming requests from many customers,” said Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino.